Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Glassing set ups

I seen this on another forum and it was a good read. It's also the off season and I am always looking for ways to spend money...

What is everyone's glassing set up?

List your optics, tripod, tripod head, stool or pad, etc. Also what would you like to change about your setup.

Pics preferred.

Dink

Mine is pretty low drama. I use 8x32 Meopta Meostar HDs and when I'm glassing for a long time, I stick a trekking pole in the dirt and rest them on top of that. Seems to work pretty well.


20-60x60 Nikon Fieldscope III ED for when stuff needs a closer look, on a Slik Sprint Pro 2 tripod. Not the greatest ball head in the world and will get upgraded this year. I did get a chance to look at some 15x SLCs on an Outdoorsman's with their pan-head last weekend and it left a pretty lasting impression... That's a badass setup for when a lot of glassing needs to be did.



Tanner

Sorry nothing in pictures but my binos are either swaro 10x42 SV's or geovid HD-R 8x42's. For a spotter I have a swaro HD 80 25-50 on a velbon maxi tripod and a vanguard pan head. I'm not sure I'll be changing anything.

12-40x60 Leupold Gold Ring HD on a Manfrotto BeFree Carbon.

8x30 Mavens.

For my style of hunting, the small binoculars have been very useful. Much lighter around my neck/in a harness than my former 8x40s and don't give up much, if anything, at dawn/dusk. If I need to see something closer I just grab the spotter out of the pack.

I spend 90+ % of my hunting time glassing from a tripod. Here's the set-up: Swarovski 15X56, Swarovski tripod adaptor, Manfrotto tripod (no clue as to model... scratched up and repainted a few times over the last 15 years.) Manfrotto 3265 pistol grip head.
I sit on one of those cheap walmart pads. Sort of like a giant beanbag, but with styrofoam beads.

Super sturdy and rock solid, but the tripod and head weigh just under 6lbs together.
I would like to try a carbon fiber tripod and perhaps a lighter head someday.

Nothing quicker.

not real fast nor stable, but comfey



and the pack spotter

Important gear....Twix and M&Ms are my favorite but after that it's a Leupold 12-40x60 GR on top of a Surui compact tripod and ball head

Pad.....its a pull over jacket

Leather chamois cloth

My binoculars are also Leupold...10x Mojave

I'm a minimalist right now with just these two, a Zeis victory BRF 8x42 and a 15x56 Leica Geovid HD

12x50 ELs with Outdoorsman's tripod for backpack Coues. Works great without excess weight.

Add a Swaro 65mm spotter for longer work... desert bighorn in this case. Someday may upgrade to the HD version, but this works pretty well for now.

Have run 15 swaros for 10 + years, manfrotto tripod pistol grip, st 80 for close work, no pics, lotsa dead critter pics though...

George_De_Vries_3rd, I've been thinking of trying that type of binocular holder for something different. I know Bog Pod and Bushnell each make one like yours. Who makes the one you are using in the photo?

Hunting focus has changed a bit for me, so I don't glass long as much as I used to...

That said, the Nikon ED Fieldscope III w/fixed lens on a Slik, still compares favorably to new stuff and is lightweight. The tripod grew up a little some time ago.

However, Swaro 15x56 gets taken more often now. If going lighter, which is happening more frequently, a "vintage" 8.5x42 EL only.

Small pad when hunting in the hills. This below when hunting lowland. Carol loves this for astronomy gawking along with the 15x -- she provides single best excuse for upgrading perfectly adequate optics...:)

walkstool

I run Swaro 15's SLC-HDs on a Promaster tripod and Vanguard Head. Works very, very well.

https://www.sandsarchery.com/Promaster-XC525c-Carbon-Fiber-Tripod-p/proxc525c.htm
https://www.sandsarchery.com/Vanguard-PH-111v-2-way-pan-head-p/vph111v.htm

I'm going to try this set up for Coues this season.
Swarovski 10x42 el's.
Hoping to upgrade to a sig rangefinder over my Leica lrf 1200.

Tons of pics but not on phone.

Main setup is Manfrotto carbon fiber 'pod, Manfrotto Jr. Head, with Swaro 15 HD's on top.

8x30 Swaro SLC's for my scanners. Meopta S2 20-70 for my spotter.

George, I don't think this:

15x56 Leica Geovid HD

and this:

I'm a minimalist

can go in the same sentence.

This is a pic of Greg W and one of his set ups. Pic taken with my phone through my binos.

I changed my optics up last season and was pleased overall. I'm using a Manfrotto aluminum tripod, Meopta Meostar 12x50 binos, and a Vortex Razor 11-33x50 spotter. To me these are a pretty good combo for good glassing power vs weight.

I use either Leica Trinovid 10x42s or Swarovski SLC15x56HDs on a Manfrotto 190x tripod with a 128RC pan head. Outdoorsmans studs on both binoculars, so the adapter never has to change, just pull one optic out, and plug the new one in. Brother had the same adapter to his tripod, so all our binoculars can interchange easily. I like the pan head, for glassing, so I can work a grid pattern, I think if I used a ball head, I'd get dizzy from moving the optics too much. The tripod is a bit heavy, I might buy a carbon one this year to try out.

Hey bud - Did you get your "issue" settled?

Yep it's all good!

Nice boots! Thanks for the recommendation, I'm liking mine a lot so far. I haven't challenged them much yet, but I'm getting some miles on them. Just not very rocky/tough terrain yet. They did go up Gaviota Peak in CA and through a Virginia creek to rescue a plastic red Tonka truck from teenagers.

Setup similar to Greg's: Gitzo carbon fiber tripod, Manfrotto 701Hdv head, Swaro 15x56. Pentax spotting scope when guiding. and 8x30 SLCs around my neck.

I use these when in a party with several glassers and can afford the luxury of an extra set of big eyes.

Kowa Highlanders with 30X eyepieces

Daaaamn Daniel....

Niiiice !!!

Those are for when Dennis has his Sherpa along! Grin

Lots of Swaros, Bogens and torn pant seats with some Steiners and a folding chair-pod thrown in!

Any issues with this set up ?

This is what my set up would look like.

I used Webster's Sure Loc Bino holder like that for probably 25 years paired with the old Swarovski 10x50 SLs. It worked very well.

Or we don't get more than 200 yards from the Ranger!

TBS, this is made by Leica in Germany. As I just broke a piece of it this winter I'll have to try to fix it or check out the sources you mention.

I do see Amazon has a few of these Leica bino's mounts on hand but can see they've made some changes since I bought mine years ago and they're still fairly expensive. Europtic usually carries them too.

Either 8 or 10x binos and sometimes a spotter.

For seeing the animal right in front of me before shooting hours and counting down the minutes, I use Sightron SII Binoculars 7x50mm, that cost ~$100

After the sun comes up and driving around looking for game I wear hung around my neck:
MINOX BD Compact 7x28 BR Binoculars Autofocus Flat Field ~ $300

When I see the animal, I look through my Leica 1600 yard range finder. Then I fiddle with my elevation turret on the rifle scope and lie down on the ground and shoot with a bipod. Seriously, this is how it is done. Never shoot out of the truck window. Get out and lie down. Be a sportsman.


For shooting at Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C 12-Inch Bull's-Eye Target $1 each I have:

When close, look through rifle scope to see impacts.

A little further away, a tiny wimpy 15x45x60 Nikon spotting scope that is on a tiny wimpy trip pod. This costs <$0.

A kind way out there:
A big heavy Konus 7122 20x-60x100mm Spotting Scope ~$300
A big heavy Bushnell Advanced Tripod ~$100

From too far:
Get back in the truck, and drive back to the target.

Spotter--Meopta S2, 20-70x. Amazing stuff. I've had it side by side with the Kowa 884 I owned, my buddy's Zeiss 85T FL numerous times, and an older Swaro 80 HD. All were great, but I found the Meopta the best.

Binoculars--If I'm going to be in tighter quarters I love the Cabelas Euro/Meopta 8x32HD. Exceptional build quality, glass is fantastic.

For the typically flat, open country hunting I do I still love the Leupold 10x42 GR HD. You can't tear it up if you try. I like 'em heavy, and this one qualifies. Still consider glass to be exceptional.

I added a Swarovision 10x50 about a year and a half ago. After GregW chewed my ass out a few times for not using a tripod mount for my binocs, I caved and bought the Bog Pod universal mount, which reminds me of the Leica but is $200 cheaper. I have to say the view through the 10x50 SV is the most spectacular view from a binocular I've ever seen, and I've seen most of the high end stuff. I had always just propped my binocs on a shooting stick/etc, and still do. For very extended periods, the tripod changed the game.

That tripod with the little stabilizer braces is not going to work very well for you (if you glass places like I do). Very seldom do I find a nice flat spot to set up on. It is very advantageous to be able to vary the legs so you can get underneath it.

We all started out with those and quickly upgraded.

Agreed

Swaro SLC 7x42 to find 'em, Leupy 12-40x60 to judge
'em.

No complaints.

I agree. You'll be ripping them stabilizers off in no time if you are glassing where you should be. If you have no issue with them you ain't glassing from the right spot...

I see what your talking about.
Gotta check the top of the legs to make sure they won't rip off without the center .
Thanks guys.
Upgrading time if it won't work.

Tripod brands suggestions ??

For ultralight packing or ultra ridged and not as light?

Not so light.

I'm trying to get set up with the right stuff, right from the git go.
How's this for a tripod with pistol grip grid search head ?

I like carbon over aluminum because it is warmer in cold weather and quieter, will those legs lay all the way out?

Its a nice feature to have if you don't have a seat.

My buddy who has it, says yes.
It's a Ravelli APGL4.
Comes with pistol grip head.